Harry Terhanian.com

The water pitcher breaks while carrying it (to its destination).

In the line of duty, there is always the chance of a mishap that is either due to fate or negligence.
One is never completely in control. There are times when the best of manmade plans are thwarted by
unpredictable events such as human error, etc.

This proverb conveys the sense that the worst outcome is always a possibility and one must not assume that such a thing cannot happen.

Your ransom is not even worth ten cents.

He speaks in a incoherent and rambling manner.

According to the dialect of Western Armenian it can also be said: dahng douhng guh zuhroutzeh
In more formal Armenian the same thing can be said as: sahren tzorhen, ahneemahshd guh zuhroutzeh.
sahren tzorhen literally means from the mountains to the valleys, or, in other words rambling. ahneemahshd means
literally without meaning or incoherent.

However, it is very amusing and colorful to say dahnguhr douhnguhr. I remember my mother using this phrase to convey the meaning of rambling, incoherent, and stupid when referring to a person’s rambling conversation.

He began to argue and dirtied the waters ( disturbed everyone).

kahmkak is used in Western Armenian dialects. It means to dirty or disturb. It conveys the meaning of passing stool.
The above proverb literally means, “he entered into the discussion and passed stool
(so as to defile or dirty the whole discussion).

He bit into a rock and stood still.

This is a very descriptive way to indicate that a person is very stubborn and obstinate.

If someone bites on a stone they are suddenly stunned and seem frozen for a short second.
A stubborn person is similarly immovable in their determination to not budge from their position or point.

That is not work, it is iron-like leblebi (roasted chickpeas).

yergateh leblebi (literally, ironhard roasted chickpeas) was a phrase that conveyed the meaning that something is very difficult or impossible.
Just like eating chickpeas that are as hard as iron balls would be impossible, so any task compared to eating iron chickpeas meant that it was impossible.

Instead of asking a thousand saints, just ask the Almighty One God

By asking advise you will reach Bhagdad.

For people living in Armenia, Bhagdad was a synonym for the most distant place or literally the end of the world.
Even a difficult task like traveling to the most distant place is accomplished by one who asks advise and pertinent questions.

One who asks questions becomes the one who knows.

The (clay) pot tumbled and found a lid.

This saying conveys the meaning that two people have found each other (as in a compatible union).

Write it on ice.

This saying is used when one wants to impress on another to forget or give up something.
Obviously, if you write on ice, it will eventually melt and be forgotten. “Bouhz” is the Turkish word for ice. The Armenian word is sahroueetz.

One who has taken a loan to drink wine gets drunk twice: once when he drinks and again when he spends the money.

There is an English proverb that says, “Don’t feast on borrowed money.” The Armenian proverb adds a dimension to the English one by noting the intoxication of wastefully spending money.

Rather than remain unemployed, work for free.

This saying emphasizes that laziness is never good for a person. There is a play on the word barhahb which means literally empty.
The proverb literally translate, “In place of remaining empty (meaning not doing anything or being lazy), work for nothing (barhahbee means for emptiness or nothing).

Keep it ( or him/her) to make pickles.

This saying was used for parents who didn’t want to give their daughter to a suitable candidate or for a businessman who refused to sell his goods at a fair price. The Turkish word for pickle was tourshe. The correct Armenian word is tuhtvad.

When he sees water he becomes a fish, and a hole he becomes a mouse

This proverb describes a very shrewd, opportunist person who adapts his behavior according to the situation.